Nonimpact printing includes such well-known techniques as electrostatic printing, ink jet printing, pen plotter printing, and the like. Unlike conventional printing processes, nonimpact printing concerns the transfer of an image to an image receiving element without exerting a tremendous amount of force.
In electrostatic recording, an image is formed from a pattern of charge produced on a drum. A toner, which is normally in the form of a dry powder or a non-aqueous dispersion, is applied to the drum to produce a toned image corresponding to the pattern of charge. The toned image is then transferred to an image receiving element. A permanent image is produced by fixing the toned image by for example, heating or by removal of the solvent.
Nonimpact printing processes are particularly useful for recording high-speed computer output because they (i) can be carried out under extremely high recording speeds, (ii) require low energy levels, and (iii) do not require chemical processing. In these applications, it is important to have image receiving elements pass quickly through the imaging device without sticking or adhering to one another.
Generally, image receiving elements comprise a support and an image receiving layer provided thereon. The support is typically paper, however, paper does not wear well and tends to stick to the other papers when multiple sheets of paper are fed into these high speed imaging devices. Thus, polymer films have often been used as the support. A problem with using polymer films is that they often accumulate static charges that also prevent the element from passing quickly through the imaging device.
In many image receiving elements for nonimpact printing, the image receiving layer is coated from an organic solvent. The use of organic solvents for coating is frequently undesirable because of flammability, toxicity, and waste disposal considerations. Residual solvent also may remain in the coating and produce odor problems during use of the element.
Morganti, U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,129, discloses an image receiving element comprising a transparent support with an antistatic layer on one surface and an imaging receiving layer on the other. Although the image receiving layer may be coated from water and the element does not adhere to other elements in the recording device due to the accumulation of static charge, the image is not water resistant.
Accordingly, a need exists for a receiving element for nonimpact printing that (i) provides good image permanence, (ii) passes readily through the recording device, and (iii) produces a water resistant image.